The Young People Action Team has been setups part of the UNICEF – YuWaah
programme.
GANDHINAGAR, 17 February 2021: 14 young people from Gujarat have been selected for
the Young People’s Action Team (YPAT) as part of YuWaah- UNICEF India programme in Gujarat.
The YPAT is made up of 14 young people (6 girls and 8 boys) representing 8 districts of Narmada, Dahod, Ahmedabad, Junagarh, Navsari, Surat, Chotta Udepur and Vadodara in Gujarat. The youngest member of the YPAT is 14 years and the oldest is 23.
It is a diverse vibrant group made up of a poet, an entrepreneur, an innovator, a disability rights activist, a mental health advocate, a gender equality champion, a tribal youth champion, a singer, among others.
YPAT Members
1. Aabhas Senapati
Abhas Senapati is a student Entrepreneur who has been working on hardware and software-based technology.
“I am passionate about building innovative solutions to create a positive impact on the lives of people, and contribute to bringing a positive change in the society,”
Aabhas
He is the founder of ThingFinder, a tag-based device that is a compact and cost-effective solution helping Alzheimer patients and the elderly keep a track of their day-to-day objects. In his entrepreneurial journey so far, Aabhas has also co-founded several other startups like GreenJoy, Empower, Guide & Vacuate & ByUrSide to help people at large.
2. Faiqah Vahora
Faiqah, a class 8 student, bats for ‘Education for All’ and believes in ‘us’ rather than ‘I’. But Faiqah has done an internship under the Laali fellowship and participated in MUN where she won accolades for raising issues in the education system.
“Inequality persists in society and not all can have access to education. I aspire to bring change in the education system to make it accessible to all as a part of YPAT team. We can do it together with team-work,”
Faiqah
A teach For India student, she likes to express herself through poems and also holds poemwriting workshops for aspiring poets. Her other interests include coding, dancing and singing.
3. Kaushal K Gohil
Kaushal, a young and enthusiastic social entrepreneur is the Founder & President of
SwaSarjan Foundation.
“My areas of interest are youth upliftment, women empowerment, conserving the environment, and menstrual hygiene awareness. And I believe in turning challenges into opportunities,”
Kaushal
He is pursuing B.E. in IT and has worked in the fields of providing free education to almost 700 students. In his eight years of experience, he has served at several positions like Member at Future Leaders Network, the Indian representative at Global Goals Model United Nation, Youth panellist at YET Conference, Youngest Vice-Chairman of ITI MaliyaHatina and many more.
4. Twisha Bhatt
Founder of ‘We MenstruAct’ and director of Mindcologism, Twisha firmly believes that
‘Change is always a Chain Reaction!’ Twisha runs drives and events creating awareness
of Menstruation – a taboo topic.
“My vision is to create a substantial network of youth change-makers. Entire youth community should be engaged and given equal opportunities and resources,”
the young advocate of mental health.
She emphasizes that ‘A Leader’s duty is to instil in her/his teammates’ self-confidence and
efficiency. She wants to create a world where Menstruation is treated as common & natural
and doesn’t force girls to hide. In her words, she strives to eliminate the stigma around
menstruation.
5. Pragya Sharma
When she is not keeping herself busy with work, she writes poems, does open-mic,
contributes to social work, and interacts with street kids & migrants.
“I love to travel and explore people and places. I really look forward to working amongst people for the people to bring a positive change in society as a change-maker”
Pragya.
She is a student of Masters in Urban Management at CEPT, who wants to work for education
and livelihood. Pragya has several impressive collaborations with government agencies,
NGOs, and corporates – like VMC, Swachh Bharat, Medical & Teacher’s association of Baroda, NEXA, Red FM in her name all for the larger social good.
6. Krishna Sodha
Nature always has been a muse for Krishna since her early days. While her inquisitive mind
has created a deep interest in physics, her heart has found its calling in doing her bit for
social good. Founder of two-year-old ‘Little4Change’, Krishna’s key areas of focus are
women’s health & hygiene, environment, and LGBTQ rights.
“I started with working as a volunteer for Jivdaya Charitable Trust. Thereon, I worked with CEE, NCC, Earth Guardians, and a couple of other organizations. This journey shaped my thoughts and I started Little4change in 2019 to work towards my areas of interest,”
Krishna
The soon-to-be bachelor in physics and self-proclaimed an ambivert who enjoys reading,
singing and calligraphy.
7.Aditya Yuvraj
We are the architect of our own destiny—the philosophy guides Aditya who is a Founder
and MD of Project ICW (projecticw.com). A student of Masters in Development
Communication, Aditya also dons the cap of Radio Jockey & Programming Head at
Radio 2 PIR, Ahmedabad.
“I have always been proactively involved with Youth activities. I particularly look forward to contributing to skill development and youth empowerment in terms of soft skill development,”
Aditya
He has been part of Sayaji Model United Nation, MSU Space-X, KALAM YOUTH Conclave, National Service Scheme, Sayaji Startup Summit, Country-Bution: Summer Social Internship, Yugaantar: National Youth Conference, Youth For Seva Baroda Chapter and UGAM Foundation.
8. Saksham Jain
A second-year student of BSc Economics (Honours) at Symbiosis School of Economics,
Pune, Saksham knows ‘team-work holds the key to success’, and thus, excited to see his
Gujarat YPAT teammates.
“Through this amazing initiative of UNICEF India, I want to look for solutions to unemployment and depression – the two issues ‘young India’ has been grappling with,”
shares Sakhsam
He had interned with a Surat-based NGO where he had conducted dental hygiene camps
for the underprivileged for free. He also worked on corporate partnerships by contacting 50
corporates across Surat. He has also volunteered for UNV where he raised issues of gender-based violence and environmental laws.
9. Srividhya Suyoj
Bitten by the lit bug, Srividhya, a student of literature at Karnavati University looks at the world with a lens, curved by imagination & hope.
“I am inspired by the work of individuals and organizations who’re engaged in public welfare activities that have brought about quantitative changes in society, and impacted lives positively. I want to work towards increasing literacy levels, improving gender sensitivity &
reducing discriminatory practices, and learning about policy- formulation,”
She aspires to bring about positive changes as a part of the YPAT team, with diverse thoughts and diligent work. Current affairs and psychology are her other interests.
10. Dipen Gadhiya
Dipen moved to Ahmedabad and trained his eyes on the heights’ he could achieve.
An alumnus of top-rated HL College of Commerce, Dipen has found his calling in
‘making this world better. Taking part in the national-level events – like MUNs and TedX -sharpened Dipen’s perspective on issues concerning youngsters.
“Youth is power, and if channelled in the right direction, can create wonders. I want to make most of the opportunity YPAT offers for the betterment of the youth,”
Dipen
He is the founder of ‘Sensizens Trust – Sensible Citizens’ that creates awareness on the rights & duties of citizens. Dipen is serving as secretary of Rotract Club of Junagadh currently and is also a Vice-President Elect of the Club
11. Juhi Parikh
A poet-cum-singer, Juhi ‘talks’ to Nature, and loves to dig deeper to learn about various
species of plants & animals in her surroundings. Though shy, Juhi is exploratory by nature
and enjoys traveling & trekking.
“Cleanliness and environment conversation are my key areas of focus where I wish to make a difference. I am here to learn from all of you and also give back to the community I belong to,”
Juhi
Juhi has pro-actively worked for tree plantation in her vicinity and visited residential colonies in Vadnagar to promote the green drive to create awareness of the environment causes.
12. Karan Bharat
Karan Jain takes pride in being a veterinary student and terms it ‘a noble profession and one of the most challenging ones’. The 21-year-old has won a prize in extempore at the Agriunifest, a national event for agricultural universities across India.
“I believe in the concept of Equity wherein everyone gets one’s share of assistance.
Karan
The greatest challenge before the youth today is skilling. I will like to work in the area of skilling for the greatest human resource in the world that is the young people and raise their voice,”
He had participated in the prestigious National Youth Festival of the NSS at Lucknow and
represented the Gujarat NSS unit there.
13. Harsh Bhatariya
A Radio Jockey with Avaj Radio 90.8 FM – Dahod, Harsh is a popular household voice in his
hometown Dahod. Lifting the best students trophy conferred by the then Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi, Harsh went on to become a Mechanical Engineer. He, however,
left his job to follow his creative pursuits.
“My team and I have planted more than 2000 saplings in schools, colleges, hostels, and
Harsh
societies in 2019 under the initiative ‘HariyaliEkSankalp’. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit education badly. To help class 10 students in their studies, I initiated a dedicated program by roping in teachers. This evoked a good response,”
Harsh wants to work for the betterment of Adiwasi youth of Dahod region, environment and
education. He composed Rap Song ‘Dahod Mask Pehro’ that evoked overwhelming response
on YouTube and UNICEF subsequently shared it on its social media platforms.
14. Maitreya Shah
Maitreya has strong credentials. A lawyer, researcher, and disability rights activist,
Maitreya Shah has a versatile professional profile. He has previously been a Research
Assistant to the National Cyber Security Coordinator, Prime Minister’s Office, India. His
core interest is in the intersection of technology, disability, and human rights.
“For close to seven years now, I have been actively pursuing disability rights activism in the areas of access to justice, inclusive education, digital accessibility, and intersectionality,”
Maitreya
He holds a BA LLB (Hons) from the Gujarat National Law University. He is also an Internet Law and Policy Foundry Fellow with the Washington-based Internet Education Foundation.
The youngest member of the YPAT is 14 years. The young people have been selected through an open application process.
India has the world’s largest youth population with 356 million1 aged between 10 – 24 years, i.e.28 percent of the total population. Investing in young people and unleashing their power and potential may not just advance India’s growth and development story but it carries an enormous potential to transform the global development indicators, including for social, economic, and political development. The success of India’s young people largely translates into success for the world.
About to help support the unique needs of young people
Based on this important premise and to help support the unique needs of young people, in
2019, UNICEF initiated the Generation Unlimited (GenU) or YuWaah partnership in India,
mobilizing a wide variety of public and private sector actors, UN agencies, and civil society
around the overall goal of ensuring every young person (aged 10-24 years) is in some form of school, learning, training, or age-appropriate employment by 2030.
“Any country’s greatest asset is the energy, ideas, and vision of its young people. As young people build their own futures, they’ll build India’s future. Investing in them is the best investment India can make. The insights from the young people represented by the YPAT will strengthen the work of UNICEF and YuWaah in developing, nurturing, and strengthening catalytic partnerships for effectively unleashing the power and potential of young people in Gujarat.”
Dr Laxmi Bhawani
Gujarat YPAT members will be an integral part of YuWaah work in the state and help co-create programme strategies, initiatives, campaigns and solutions on issues that impact the lives of young people. Gujarat Youth Forum is supporting the YPAT in Gujarat.
About UNICEF :
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
About Gujarat Youth Forum :
Gujarat Youth Forum is a collaborative platform – the quintessential for the youth, by the youth, and of the youth platform. The mission of GYF is to facilitate societal change by encouraging positive interventions by the young. The forum nurtures discussion and brings youth voices on a common platform; this is followed-up by mentorship programs that empower individuals and teams to deliver sound and creative solutions leading to equitable growth.
For further information, please contact: Moira Dawa, UNICEF Gujarat mdawa@unicef.org Madhish Parikh, Convenor, Gujarat Youth Forum madhishparikh@gmail.com
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children visit www.unicef.org
